An article on Pokémon scoops Gwerddon Award
On Wednesday, 9 August at the Llŷn and Eifionydd National Eisteddfod 2023, five awards were presented to students and lecturers who have contributed outstanding work at their universities.
During the Coleg’s annual reception, Annell Dyfri from Cardiff University was presented with the Dr John Davies Memorial Award for achieving the best dissertation in Welsh on Welsh History. Her essay was titled 'A decade of transformation (2010-2020) S4C: from the linear platform to the digital platform and the impact of this on the Welsh language'.
Annell, who now works as a Journalist with BBC Wales after studying an M.A. in Broadcast Journalism at Cardiff University, said:
"I am very grateful to the Coleg for this award. I really enjoyed writing my essay about how Welsh-medium broadcasting has had to respond to the digital revolution moving from the linear stage to pet these new opportunities. The impact has been positive on Welsh-medium broadcasting with audiences around the world now able to enjoy S4C's provision digitally.
"The research has been very useful in my current work as a Welsh-medium journalist. I would like to say a big thank you to my tutor, Professor Diarmait Mac Giolla Chriost, for his support and to the Coleg Cymraeg for all the opportunities I have received as a student and as an ambassador. Winning the Dr John Davies Memorial Award is a wonderful end to my studies and a huge boost as I embark on my career."
The winner of this year’s Norah Isaac Award Winner is Elin Bartlett, a student of Medicine at Cardiff University. The award rewards the best result by an undergraduate student in the Coleg Cymraeg Welsh Language Skills Certificate assessment.
Elin recognises the importance of language skills to communicate effectively bilingually with her patients. She said:
"Winning this award means a lot to me. Not only is it recognition of my work that will give me a positive boost as I continue my studies, but the certificate provides evidence of the level of language skills and ability to use Welsh effectively in the workplace which is very important in medicine."
The winner of this year's Gwerddon Award is Dr Geraint Palmer, a lecturer in the School of Mathematics at Cardiff University. The Gwerddon Award rewards the best article published on an academic e-journal, Gwerddon, over the past two years.
Geraint’s article, 'Multi-objective linear programming to identify the best Pokémon team, provides an example of applying mathematic research techniques to optimize Pokémon teams. Explaining more about the article, Geraint said:
"In this article I introduced some standard techniques in order to solve a fun problem involving combinatorial and stochastic properties, that is choosing the best team from Pokémon. I used multi-objective linear programming to choose which Pokémon appear on the team, and which moves they have. Similar techniques have applications in a large number of industries, for example scheduling operations, and predicting the impact of staffing on wait times."
Dr Rhian Hedd Meara, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography at Swansea University was also announced as the winner of the Eilir Hedd Morgan Memorial Award for her dedication in developing a significant element of Welsh language provision in Geography at the university and making Welsh language a priority.
The Gwyn Thomas Memorial Award was presented to Roger Stone who has pursued a degree in Welsh and Celtic Studies at Aberystwyth University. The award is presented for the best dissertation presented in the field of Welsh as an academic subject. The winning essay explored the connection between the social philosophy of Dafydd Nanmor in the fifteenth century and the political philosophy of Saunders Lewis in the twentieth century in the context of the founding of the Welsh National Party in 1925.
Coleg Cymraeg Chief Executive Dr Ioan Matthews said:
"The winners deserve every praise and recognition for their work but also for encouraging and supporting their peers and colleagues within the universities and workplaces to espouse their Welshness and in doing so raise the profile of the Welsh language. We would like to wish them every success in the future"